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Black Mask
The former warlord of the Sand-Dweller tribe, Black Mask's death marked the end of any real danger to The Papal States during the Saltlands Wars. He was the son of a salt-mutant and a badlander, and honored the latter greatly. Biography Black Mask was born Rawl to Marh, a woman of the Sand-Dweller tribe, and a traveling Badlander father in march of 2238. Born under a tragic sign, none expected a good life for the child. His earliest memories were following behind his mother, the sand burning his feet, as the tribe tracked the migratory herds they depended on. He found this enjoyable as his mother always spent her free-time entertaining the boy. This happiness would end in 2245, when the tribe entered the Distrito Capital to raid outlying communities. While most of the tribe was away, the cultists of La Pacífica descended on the camp, snatching up women & children indiscriminately. Rawl was one of the dozen children captured and hauled off to the mountainous home of the cultists. Here the children would be subjected to unspeakable abuse; mental; physical; as well as spiritual. Half would be dead after the first year and the rest were empty husks, with the death worshipers indoctrinating them. While the tribals' pantheon did include a death god, he was a minor figure that was reluctantly accepted rather than worshiped. The cultists would tell the children that this was the only god who cared, and the only one who mattered. Rawl would survive by clinging to memories of his mother and the stories of his father, who was a warrior without equal. As the years went on he would dive deeper within, and even begin to fashion a crude mask from his lone blanket. As his fifth year of captivity went on, one of his captors would discover Rawl with the mask, and misunderstanding the significance and reason for it, took the boy and mask to the Bone Priest. There the blanket-mask was taken, but Rawl was surprised to find that instead of being punished, he was given a proper mask. This would be fixed with leather straps to his face, with the child punished if he tried to take it off. In his thirteenth year he would be allowed to follow raiding bands in the field, often carrying excess equipment or anything the group deemed important. It was on one such raid raid that Rawl would kill his first person, impaling a farmer on a pike. He felt almost nothing as he watched the man stop moaning, and would be surprised by the praise he was given. After this Rawl would participate in four more raids, killing another two people, before he managed to escape in 2251, running into the ruins. Once he lost his pursuers, he would return to The Saltlands, navigating by the stars until he reached one of his tribe's hunting grounds. There he would wait for weeks, surviving on Jackalope and dirty water. When his kinsmen arrived, they wouldn't recognize him as the happy, somewhat chubby child had been replaced by a pale, gaunt, masked teenager who sounded like a rusty gate when he spoke. He would be recognized by his mother however, who embraced him warmly. Rawl would have trouble adjusting as would be expected however, refusing to remove his mask, and building an altar to Lehize, the tribal death god. This would alienate him from the other children as well, as he was unaccustomed to their games and emotionally stunted, he spent most of his time with his mother. Despite this behavior the rest of the tribe were understanding given his birth sign though the other teens start calling him Black Mask amongst themselves. Rawl would prove himself a skilled hunter however, able to take a Javelina by himself, and trap several Jackalope as well. This helped pass the next two years peacefully for Rawl, as he overcame the harshest of his treatments. His mother would die in late 2253, and Rawl buried her by himself with the tribe looking on. He would join his first raid with the tribe when he was sixteen, going against a rival tribe for hunting grounds. Rawl would distinguish himself in the battle, killing two of his opponents and helping to scatter the rest. This gave him prestige and afterwards he told the shamen that Black Mask was his new name. While this seemed strange to a few, most assumed he had simply heard what everyone was calling him already and decided to adopt the title. Black Mask continued to excel in battle, killing another six by the end of the year and becoming a senior warrior amongst the tribe. His young age and progress would lead some to doubt the seriousness of his birth sign, though the elders shook their heads at this talk. In 2256 the Sand-Dwellers would go to war with the Smasher tribe over a jilted marriage and long standing issues, with Black Mask at the forefront of most battles. That year he fought in eight battles and killed six individuals, gaining prestige and spoils. Among his trophies was a lever-action rifle and box of shells, which he quickly became taken with. These allowed him to double his tally for 2257, killing a dozen in the first three skirmishes of the year. His efforts, as well as those of his fellow warriors, would drive the Smasher tribe to surrender and be absorbed by the Sand-dwellers. Black Mask would rise in standing, despite his detractors who often reiterated him birth sign. The next three years passed quietly, and he even married, though he felt no attraction towards her, and simply requested her proposal. He would also converse with the shamen often, sometimes for entire nights. 2261 would change as the chieftain of the Sand-Dwellers was killed while hunting and the tribe mourned, with several contenders readying their claims. After the traditional time of the mourning was over, claims and challenges began, with four falling in ritual combat in the first day. Black Mask would watch passively, but when he slept that night he would receive a vision telling him he must become the leader. The next day he entered the contests, and killed eight other rivals before they acknowledged his reign. His first act would be to offer tribute to Lehize for her guidance, and to bear her banner. The next was to throw a banquet for the tribe to ease any lingering resentments. His rule secured, Back Mask led the tribe on their usual migratory circuit for the next three years before a party of missionaries crossed their path. Black Mask received them for the sake of formalities, not interested in the group, until they talked of their god. He listened silently as the missionaries went on with their spiel, growing furious. After they finished speaking, the chief grabbed the ceremonial knife and stabbed the closet one, shocking not only the Catholics but his fellow tribesmen as well. Regardless his followers would also fell on the missionaries, making quick work of them. The bodies would be dismembered and scattered in the distance, with Black Mask declaring anyone trying to convert them would be met with the same fate. The tribe would resume their wanderings, though their chief would buy weapons from traders when encountered, expecting war. This would be started by Black Mask himself when the tribe came across the Mud Flats, a converted tribe in 2265. He led every attack and often targeted their camp sites, killing women & children as well as warriors. This conflict was prolonged over the next year by the migratory nature of both tribes, until a decisive clash in 2266, when Black Mask led his warriors to the Flats' hunting ground. Here they would ambush a dozen of the hunters, before moving on the Flats' camp. The Catholics would try to surrender, but Black Mask would order them all killed. This brutality was rare within the Salt Tribes, but he would gain much prestige among the enemies of The Papal States. Some in the tribe were concerned about their chief's growing blood thirst, but many assumed he had an aversion to false gods. His actions would help spark the Saltlands Wars in 2267, which he met with everything he had. Just three days after word reached him of the Papists mobilization, Black Mask sent runners to every faithful tribe and personally went before Los Aztecas to gain their support. A few tribes such as the Bone-Eaters would refuse, but four hundred warriors would gather under his banner. He had his shamen give blessings to the warriors and began the march north. Their fist stop was at the headquarters of a missionary order which they razed, with the tribals looting what they could. They faced their first challenge two days later with the forces of Count Alejandro Montego, the leader of sixty trained and well armed men. Knowing their strengths, Black Mask banked on their arrogance, and planned to use it against them. He hid three-forth of his forces behind several rock outcrops and lead the rest on the field as is usual for Salt mutants. The Papists would rise to the bait, attacking the tribals from a distance with their rifles, which only a few tribals could match. After twenty of his followers fell, Black Mask would order the rest back, acting as if it was a rout. The Catholics would follow them, and as they passed the rocks the rest of the tribals would engulf them, with Black Mask's group turning back and charging as well. After the wounded were attended to and the spoils distributed, the tribals would move on to the papal village the next day, easily batting aside the local resistance and plundering as they wanted. After they had their fill of rape and plunder, the tribals killed the remaining residents and burnt the remains. They headed west from there, intending to burn the border settlements, and encountered another warband in November.Now armed with fire-arms, the tribals faced the Papists head on, and while losing thirty of their own, destroyed the papists and looted their equipment. Black Mask would lead them onto the next town, which was fortified. Not concerned with the walls of the Catholics, Black Mask led his men in a charge, dodging bullets as if they were flies. After the inhabitants were slaughtered, the warlord took stock of his forces; he had 270 warriors; half with guns and all battle tested. After his forces rested, he led them north before turning them loose to raid and pillage at will, while he took eighty of the best to press on. For the next six months Black Mask and his followers would target caravans, travelers and smaller groups of fighters before regrouping with several other warbands in May of 2268. This gathering would number 200, all with good equipment and experience. Their destination would be La Rojo Wall, a papal fort on the Southern frontier of the States. Black Mask had his forces surround the fort and cut off their supplies and communications, as well as begin foraging. The siege lasted four months, and the tribals were were content to hold it for the year, until pickets reported a relief force was on the way. While the sub-chiefs wanted to press the attack, their warlord saw another way, by attacking the papal band instead. The pagans ambushed the Catholics and donned their outfits, then advanced on the fort firing at the other tribals as they went. Thinking their relief force was trying to enter the walls, the defenders of the fort opened the gates and prepared to help the wounded, only for the guns of their allies to be turned on them. In this confusion the rest of the attackers charged and quickly overwhelmed the remaining papists. The fort yielded much needed supplies for the tribals, who used it as a base for the next three months. They would be evicted by a large group of mercenaries who simply blew the walls down with two missile launchers and fair amount of tribals with them. They launched their attack on February 7th, which the bloody melee that most of the tribals wanted. When the dust settled mercenaries were killed, along with 86 tribals with another fifty wounded. Knowing they must move, Black Mask would order the wounded to be taken south, while the healthy were to follow him. This would mark the beginning of the end for the warlord, as he was ambushed on February 20th. He and four others barely managed to escape the slaughter, running until they found a cave to hide in. The group hid there for the night, sneaking out in the dawn and heading east. On March 1st, they would reach an open town and recruit a number of Comancheros and surviving enemies of the papists to return north. A week later they would attack a caravanersai, burning it down before continuing north. They attracted bandits and raiders in their twos and threes as they went, numbering 73 by the time they reached Citrus Grover on April 10th. The resident count quickly gathered everyone able to fight and prepared to meet the attack. Knowing the bandits weren't as skilled as his previous tribal force, Black Mask climbed a rock to give a speech, but was shot in the side before he could start speaking. Far from being dead however, he was enraged and charged the papal lines, his followers screaming behind him. Black Mask would be shot twice more before he closed the distance, but barely felt it as he begun to cleave through the defenders. His followers would prove less formidable however, and he was soon surrounded, being shot and stabbed from all sides. After he was finally brought down, the count removed his signature mask and burned the tribal's body to ensure he was finally gone. Appearance Black Mask was tall and lanky almost all his life, standing 5'11" and weighing 168lbs. His hair and eyes were brown, and he had numerous tattoos.Like most Salt-Mutants he had arms longer than proportional, but his most distinguishing feature was his mask. Personality Black Mask was often quiet and introverted, scarred by his time with La Pacifica. He was also indoctrinated to violently oppose any betrayal or slight of the death god, though he felt little else. Category:Characters Category:Deceased Category:Raiders Category:Tribals Category:Tamaulipas